Your Circle Is a Choice | The Empowered Era Podcast

Hi lovessss! We are so back with another episode and this time it's another solo. This episode is for you if you want to get a better understand on: 

• Birth Order and the affects it can have on you
• Friendships and the depth / categories of them
• Creating your village
• How to make friends in a new city
• How to continue cultivating your tribe
• How do you define your tribe?

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About The Empowered Era
The Empowered Era is a podcast centered on elevated conversations around faith, identity, purpose, and culture. It is the podcast that empowers you from within while dispelling isolation and giving you actionable steps to better yourself. Hosted by Elizabeth, known as The Elizabethan Era, each episode is designed to meet you where you are and push you toward who you are called to be. Season 2 is bigger rooms, deeper conversations, and a whole new level.

#theempowerederapodcast #faith #purpose #christianpodcast #spiritualgrowth #obedience #podcast #Godisgood

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Whenever you are walking in your purpose and walking in your calling, those often feel like really big shoes to fill. And for me, I've always kind of felt like I had really big shoes to fill. As you're showing up in society and you are contributing, you have to make friends. You have to build community. You have to find your people. You have to find your tribe, you have to find your village, whatever you want to call it. I feel like that is kind of our role within this ecosystem of our village and our tribe when it comes to being a destiny helper or being a true friend. You can't just ask for other people to show up for you, but you don't show up for them. It's not just about what you're going through in your own perspective, but how can you show up for the next person as well. And so those are my thoughts of like things that I know now that I didn't fully understand, but I did understand to an extent when I was younger and how things played out and why I'm able to have friends in many different places. At the end of the day, you just never know how your story can transform someone else's entire life. Hey guys, it's Lizzie. Welcome back to my podcast, the Empowered Era Podcast. I'm really excited to chat with you guys. I am your host, and as you can see, there is no guest. We have an empty seat, there are no cue cards. We are here having a solo, very cozy combo. I wanted to tap in with you guys. I know in my last episode when I did a solo conversation, we had like the big sister, little sister conversations. Um, and the thought process was really me being a big sister to you all who are maybe listening in and going through something and like lessons I've learned within my 20s that I would like to share with you guys now that I'm getting towards the middle to the end of my 20s. But in this episode, I definitely want to share from the standpoint of me actually being a little sister. And so we're gonna dive into a lot of conversation surrounding birth order, friendship, creating your village, how you make friends when you go to a new city, how you continue cultivating your tribe, what do you truly define it to be, how you can self-reflect and figure out how you can take those actionable steps for yourself, as well as divine intervention. So this episode, I'm really hoping y'all get a lot out of it. But if you are not tuned in, definitely subscribe on YouTube, definitely download some of our episodes on your favorite version of where you get your podcast, whether it be Apple Podcasts, whether it be Spotify. And then also, of course, follow us on social platforms, the Empowered Era Podcast on our Instagram, on our TikTok, and just stay tuned with us. Um, and then of course, my personal is the Elizabethan era. I'm so excited to just continue growing with you guys and bringing you guys on this journey. As we're here, of course, shooting in this new, very crash course version of life. Um, because I feel like I'm experiencing so much that's so new. But as we're shooting here in LA, want to definitely bring you guys on that journey with me. A lot of questions that I get are like when you move to a new city or throughout the course of your life, how is it that you've made so many friends? Or how is it that you have grown to be this person that you are? How is it that you can walk into certain spaces and feel um like not intimidated or inferior? How is it that you're doing this? Is this something that you grew up knowing how to do? Is this something you had to like learn? Is there a course? Is there a class? And I've honestly feel like I'm a student of life and I've just taken every experience from my life and like built it into my own version of like a crash course. And so I'm just gonna chat with you guys in this episode, really raw, really honest, and give you guys the T on things maybe I wish I would have known when I was younger. Um, I'm towards the end of my 20s now, and there's a lot of things that I've learned. So, as far as the big sister, little sister advice, let's talk about birth order. I feel like your birth order plays a huge role into how you show up in society, how you show up internally, how you show up within the confines of your family. And this is truly if you have many siblings. So let's say you are the firstborn man or woman, or you're the lastborn, or you're the middle child. And then outside of having three, me personally, I got six. Like, there's five siblings. Um, I'm the fifth out of six kids, and there are four girls and two boys. I'm the only girl that is sandwiched between two boys. So that I would say plays a huge role into like my personality, things like that. Um, growing up Nigerian, growing up Nigerian American, I would say that most people, if you're the firstborn, you're the Ada of the family. You're like the second mom. Huge responsibilities. And not just Nigerians can relate to this, but a lot of first gen. If you're the firstborn daughter, you take this role of essentially showing up like you're the second mom. Me personally, I wouldn't trade places with my oldest sister. I feel like any Ada of the family knows their role, they play their role well, and they are like the parents' project. And if you even switch it to like being a firstborn son, that's a different topic. All the duties and responsibilities fall on you. If something happens to the parents, you are now the man of the household, the head of the household, and you just have to be the one that is seeing everything through so that you can set this example for your younger siblings. That, of course, is not my role. Um, when it comes to me being the fifth out of six and having an older brother and then a direct younger brother, I saw how all my older sisters operated in the confines of what the parents expected. And then, of course, they would break through and do their own thing. And naturally, for me, I was like, okay, well, I kind of feel like my brother has more fun than they do. Like when it comes to duties and responsibilities in the home, the girls are told on weekends to clean the house, do this, that, and the third, and they're learning all these homemaking skills while still having to go to school and all the things and get straight A's. But my brother, the extent was maybe like, okay, like do yard work, but yard work is not on a daily, you know what I mean? And so he just seemed to have more of a fun life. He was in like football, all his extracurriculars, we would show up for him. So naturally, I was like, okay, it's not to say I want to be a boy, but the boys seem to have it a lot easier or more fun than the girls. There's a lot of pressure when you're a girl, and I just didn't like that. So I naturally, as a kid, actually became more of a tomboy. And today, when I tell people that I was more of a tomboy, they're like, Really? I don't really see that. Are you sure? You seem really girly, girl. And I definitely give credit to how I show up now, the really refined and polished version, to my older sisters. So you can give and take and grab different things from each person. And so to continue on the journey of like birth order, I was the youngest child for the long time, and then my little brother came. And I can single-handedly say that he taught me so much compassion, um, not being selfish. Like I give him a lot of credit if he was not in our life. I definitely don't know the type of person that I would be as far as understanding multiple perspectives in life. I owe him a lot to how I show up. Um, and now I completely understand what it means to be a big sister and why the big sisters often feel like they can't really turn to other people because they have to always show up for themselves. Um, or the big brother, whoever is the oldest and most more responsible person in the family technically doesn't have someone else to kind of fall back on. They don't really have like a plan B because they have to show up as the plan A, like all the time. And um, I'm thankful that although I'm towards the end, I grew up having the mindset of like a big sister. And so when I would meet other people, they would assume that I was an older sibling or like, oh, you must be the firstborn because of how I behave. But the other caveat outside of like birth order is that when you start showing up in different spaces, whether it be like elementary, middle school, high school, or now life after college, you are in your full profession, you relocate, you move to a new city, you are just trying your hand in something else. You'll no longer be recognized as, oh, you're so-and-so's little brother or you're so-and-so's little sister, right? And for me, I was actually trying to break away from that. Um, this is the second big city that I've moved to, and I often felt like growing up in the same area, like I grew up, my whole family's in DFW, we're in Dallas, Texas. I was like, okay, I'm always known as somebody's little sister. Or like, oh, I know you, I know your family. And it's just like, dang, sometimes I just kind of want to be an alias. Like, I just want to show up and kind of redefine who I am. And so I'm grateful for the experiences of moving and relocating and trying different things because now I get to show up in this like new, fuller version of who I was destined to be, who God has called me to be outside of the confines of a birth order. Um, the other layer that I want to mention is whenever you are walking in your purpose and walking in your calling, those often feel like really big shoes to fill. And for me, I've always kind of felt like I had really big shoes to fill because of the people that came before me, but also the type of person that I see myself to be like in the end of life, or like when you think about what is the impact you want to leave, what is the thing you want to be known for. I often think like, okay, that type of woman and who I am, what's the gap and how can I close it? And so whenever I'm walking in these spaces and I have to show up in really big rooms with who's who's, or I have like a senior title role, etc., that is when I start feeling like, okay, is this who I really am? And yes, the answer is yes, but what is happening that I had to be more self-aware of is imposter syndrome. So after birth order, let's definitely dissect what imposter syndrome feels like and what could be happening. I know for a fact the imposter syndrome kicks in because majority of my life, I'm viewed as the little sister. I'm viewed as someone who plays a role. You're the one that's running errands, you're the one that's being tasked, you're the one that's essentially under several other voices, you also then feel this need to overperform. You feel this need to prove yourself because if there's five voices that are ahead of you, at least in our culture, you're supposed to respect your elder. If it if we're going somewhere, and I'm sure a lot of people can relate, if you're going somewhere, you as the younger sibling, if you have an older sibling in the car with you, you do not go to the front seat. Like you just don't go to the front seat, you go all the way to the back. You just naturally know your place. And so now in spaces where I am showing up, not as a little sister, I will sometimes get a little triggered. And for any person who relates to the concept of imposter syndrome, feeling all of that, feeling like they are not who they show up to be in society. I personally feel like if you were to dig deeper in your childhood, there's a reason why you don't believe that you are actually who everyone is meeting you in this new reinvented version of yourself or this new year. And at least for me, I can definitely say that it was because of birth order. Um, so that's my spiel on imposter syndrome. And now on more of like the lighter discussions, um, but still definitely deeper discussions is as you're showing up in society and you are contributing, you have to make friends, you have to build community, you have to find your people, you have to find your tribe, you have to find your village, whatever you want to call it. There are people that you have to ask yourself, okay, this is someone I can call, phone a friend, they're gonna show up for me. And then this is somebody that like I just say hi and we greet, right? Those are the different layers of like friendship that I would I would say that I've had to kind of shuffle through within my life. So one thing I love is that over the years I have been able to make really, really good friends. I have friends that I can call for anything. I can be my raw and authentic self. I can show up and we can just sit on the couch. And I'm not talking about like legs crossed and I'm dressed up, I'm talking like wig off, we in a robe, big t-shirt, and we're just chilling in silence. Like, those are the friends that I'm like, wow, although you are not blood, you feel like blood. And I think for me, because I have a lot of siblings, I'm able to kind of have what I would like to call like sibling time. So things that I would do with a sibling that, okay, cool, I may have met you a year ago or met you a few months ago, but dependent on the level of comfortability we have, we may get to that level of come over to my home, I go over to your home, things of that nature. Um, and I just feel like there are there are for sure categories like you have your built-in best friends, if you are fortunate enough to have siblings that you can run to for anything. And beyond what you are experiencing, there's going to be family things that are going on that maybe your friends wouldn't get, that you have to figure out, okay, am I gonna have this meeting, me, myself, and I, or do I go and tell my brother or go and tell my sister? Because it's something that you guys are all affected by. And that's what I love about having the sibling friendship. And then you have your friendships with your like individuals that are going to intercede in prayer for you. Like, you can have a voice of reason. If you're making a big decision, you can phone them. And even if you're making a small decision, like what order of photo should I put for my carousel or like what outfit should I wear? But you know that these are the people you can count on. If you are starting to doubt yourself, you know that you could phone them, they're gonna pick up, they're gonna get back to you. If you are trying to shuffle through certain things, for me personally, I have friends where it's like, okay, especially with how I balance multiple things at once. Sometimes I say yes to too many things. So then I get overwhelmed and then I have to learn to deprioritize. And as I'm learning to deprioritize, I'll call my friend and they're like, Yeah, you're actually stressing yourself for what? Why why do you say yes to that? And I'm like, Okay, why did I say yes? No, but it's because of this, because it's this, because it's this. And they will like talk me through finding the answer. And essentially I'm the one finding the answer, but they're like, Okay, you committed to five things, you only have time to do three things at 100%. What are the top three things that really matter? And please build in, you know, rest time. Like, they'll tell me, like, nah, like block off your whole schedule because you're about to like burn out. But then at the same time, I'll have friends that are like, No, but you signed up for this. This is literally what you prayed for. So, no, I'm not gonna baby you, I'm gonna hold you accountable. Make sure you meet your deadline. And having those friends are really, really important. And then outside of that, more of the lighter vibe, it's the friends that maybe you just go out with. Maybe you talk to them on more of like um a positive note always. They don't know like the deep dark and what you've encountered and your ups and downs. They just maybe know your ups. Um, they may not be caught up to speed in real time of your ups, but maybe they're aware of your ups, and then that's cool. And then, of course, you have like your acquaintances, people that you know of them, they know of you, they are not your friend, you are not their friend, and that's how I would kind of define the friend levels. You have your siblings, you have the people that will intercede in prayer with, you have the people who will um be more of that lighter tone, you can go out with them, social events, and then you have your acquaintances. And I often get asked, like, okay, well, how is it that you're making all these friends? I don't think that there's really like a science that I could share, to be completely honest. Um, that if I told you guys this is what I did, you can replicate it. But one thing that I would say that has stuck true to me is I just kind of show up as myself. So, whatever that looks like for you is what I would recommend. But always thinking in your mind, like, this is an opportunity for me to meet someone new and let's see where this goes. Like, do not give yourself an expectation. Look at it more like you get to experience life, and these people happen to be aligned with you. And some of the people that you meet, y'all may be the same age, y'all may be in the same industry, y'all may have the same interests, and sometimes it's completely polar opposite. But there's something about like the human nature that we can all find in common. And so that's when you can kind of pick out, like, okay, this is someone I didn't think that we would have much in common, and now they're like a really close friend. And now, whenever I need to vet an idea, I know to turn to them because they're an expert in this space, or I truly respect their perspective and their thought process here. Um, so that's what I would say about how I've been able to meet certain friends. I feel like the other aspect is like the follow-up. So, not in a formal setting of you send an email, make sure you follow up, like on some professional stuff, but like legit following up with different people. If someone comes on your mind, instead of it being this full formal thought process, it's literally like, hey, what's up? How are you? And not just texting them because you need something, but texting them because it's like, am I okay to scoop forward? Okay, but texting them because it's like, hey, you were on my mind, just checking in, and you have no idea how you just checking in or mentioning like one thing my friends always say is like you do a really good job of sending a resource or like aligning me with an opportunity whenever you see it. Instead of like gatekeeping it, making it for you. Like, if I see something and I got a friend who I know is passionate or interested in that space, I'm sending the real, the TikTok, the resource, the article, the application. Like, I'm like, oh, this made me think of you. Boom. And I feel like that is kind of our role within this ecosystem of our village and our tribe when it comes to being a destiny helper or being a true friend. You can't just ask for other people to show up for you, but you don't show up for them. So that's what I think the follow-up looks like. That way it's legit so natural for you to go to any city and be like, hey, I'm in your city, are you free? And they're not like, oh okay, you're in my city, you didn't plan to see me, so now this is like a convenient thing. You like have fun. There's a different level of I guess low maintenance versus high maintenance that is required. So I love a low maintenance friendship. I'm not gonna lie. I got a lot of friends, and I have a lot of people in my life that I talk to on a daily. So I really don't have time for like hand holding and like let's do everything together, but I am deeply vested in my friends' lives, my siblings' lives, the people that I care about, and vice versa. So I feel like understanding at a younger age that high maintenance friendships just maybe don't work for me. And that does not mean that I don't understand loyalty, that does not mean that I am a bad friend. That does not mean that I care any less than the next. It just means that as we grow older and as we go through life, we don't have to do everything in per se a click or a group. Um, that was something I kind of noticed in college, my college days. I actually hate clicks. I really, really don't like the the idea of like a mutual friend. Because why does that mutual friend know all my business? If I didn't tell them directly and I don't feel comfortable enough to tell them directly, what are we really talking about? Um, so I'm really big and at an early age, kind of focused on one-on-ones. And from there, that's how I built community. So in any city that I go to, or like whenever there's a big conference or convention or whatever, and then it's like all my people in one, it feels like a reunion because it's like, dang, I remember when I met you four years ago. I remember when I met you three years ago, and I didn't know you guys knew each other, or y'all should meet and da-da-da-da. Or I can go to another city and not just in the US, but like even overseas, and stay with another friend. Um, I think that is a beautiful element of life because not everything is supposed to be an opportunity to get you to something else. Sometimes it's just we met in a season where we were both experiencing something that was mutual, whether it be um a low moment or a high moment, and we clicked, and now that doesn't mean we have to talk all the time, but I can hit you up and you can hit me up, and we can randomly send an audio voice note, we can randomly shoot a FaceTime, and it's not like, oh hey, it's more. Of we pick up exactly where we left off, and that's something that I'm just like really glad that I have within my tribe or within my village that I can pick up where I left off with my friends, and then something else that my friends clock about me is if I go low-key or quiet, if I'm not posting as much, they know my interests, my passions, like I enjoy content creation and being creative. That's when they're like, Liz, are you good? Hey, I'm checking in. Like, I noticed something was kind of off because you went really quiet. And like, it's not like you to just go ghost, and then it's like, oh wow, like I'm glad you peeped that of me. Um, so having friends that understand your behavior, I think is really helpful as you're growing and evolving when it comes to like self-awareness because there's certain things you can clock about yourself, but you don't have another mirror in front of you for them to clock it. Now, diving deeper into the concept of a village, when it comes to the idea of not every person you meet is supposed to give you an opportunity and show up for you so that it can elevate you, but truly, these people are supposed to just do life with you, and y'all are supposed to just do life together, and that is it. There's no tit for tat. If you were to like take everything back to the true idea of a tribe or a village, you would really understand, at least for first gens, like when I think about a village, I think about where I'm going back home in Nigeria, where my parents are from, where my mom's from versus where my dad's from in Nigeria, in the heart of it. And in those spaces, the idea of it is you have a community of people that have seen you grow and are cheering you on, and you can rely and lean on them for different things. That is what a village in a community is. Like when you think of the phrase, it takes a village to raise a child, that is true. Because in today's time, we know how much it costs for childcare. And the idea of making child care transactional is quite odd when you take it back to the concept of you're gonna have a sibling or you're gonna have a parent come stay in your home to help you raise that kid, or in the absence of parents, then the kid would go to their uncle and aunt's home. I remember vividly, we have a large family, six kids, and then even on my cousin's side, they have at the time they had like I think right at the five or six kids as well. We would rotate like week after week. Our entire family would go stay there, as in like all the kids. So imagine like 12 kids all in one house, and then they would switch it. And growing up, we were so close, and we saw each other like for a week at a time, we'd be together. And I kept wondering, like, I wonder why this is versus like, of course, when we get older and we could take care of ourselves. And that to me is the true concept of having a village. One, you get to grow up and be really close with your cousins, your friends, your um siblings because y'all are all watching each other, but two, the parents don't have to worry about childcare. You guys can all build this familial concept. And I remember like on Sundays as a family, we would all go to like a Chinese buffet. Every African parent loves a Chinese buffet or like a golden corral, like that was kind of the thing. Um, and so going from doing those things together to being at your cousin's place for like a week, you just packed your bags, you don't even know how long you're gonna be there, kind of thing. Um, I feel like there is a bit of the art of the tribe concept that is being lost, and that is something that's a bit disheartening. And that's where we all have to question ourselves and ask ourselves: how are we contributing to building our tribe in our village? How are we pouring back in? I know, for example, in my adult life, I do not live in my hometown. My hometown being Dallas, me living currently in LA. When I say 2024, there were so many wedding invites, baby shower invites. And I have to think in my mind, like, okay, it does low-key feel transactional of it's not just let me block off time and let me use my weekend. Now it's okay, I gotta get the flight, sometimes get the hotel, we gotta get an outfit, we gotta get an achevy made. Like, there's a whole laundry list of how you're gonna get your logistics together to show up for these people. But the concept of transaction goes out the window when you are really showing up for your village. I think I took maybe six trips back home to Dallas last year. And one of them was for the baby shower of my new nephew, the other one was because he was born, he was like three weeks old. The next one was for a friend's wedding, the next one it's holiday season, so I think that was like Thanksgiving. Another one was for I think like Christmas. So there's always gonna be that time to be around each other, and that's where I could say, at least for me, I get to break away from this life that I'm building out here in LA and get back to like, okay, now I'm around the people that have known me since I was a kid. But back to what I was saying with the imposter syndrome, when people that have known you for a long time are like, oh my gosh, like what are you up to? I see that you're doing this and that and da-da-da. It can kind of feel different because you're updating them, but they still view you as like little Lizzie of yesterday, and now you're out here doing all this stuff, and like you're really like independent, like you're self-sufficient, we're surprised. Not to say, like, we're surprised and didn't think you were capable, but it's like some of them literally watched me as a kid when I was like five, like things like that, and so now coming back into town and like showing up and we're all like at this reunion, wedding vibe, it's it's those moments that I feel like matter, and that's the concept of having a tribe when someone has a baby and they put their baby list together, their registry, etc. When someone's going through, you know, homeownership and they have a housewarming, when someone's just relocating because they got a new apartment, the people that show up for you, that's your tribe. And the people who I would say, even during like the wildfire, that's when I started realizing, like, oh wow, I actually didn't realize I was truly like building my tribe out here. But the people virtually who were literally hitting me up, hey Liz, like, have you eaten? Are you good? Are you affected? Are you impacted? I'm gonna cash up you, go get food. I'm just like, wow, like what I'm asking for literally, my friends know. I'm texting them, like, can you send me an audio message just praying over me? Because right now I really don't know what's going on. I don't know how to feel or think, and this is extremely emotional. And so they're sending audios, and what they don't realize is I sent it to more than just them. What's crazy about those experiences though is that each of their prayer aligned with the next person. Like one person would mention a scripture that the next person mentioned. And I'm like, okay, y'all would have thought that y'all were talking together, but you're not. And that's once again where you're giving other people in your tribe or in your village the opportunity to show up as a vessel, to show up in obedience. And if you don't give them that opportunity, then they don't get to exercise their muscle. And so it's like a back and forth ebb and flow for both parties to really grow. It's not just about what you're going through in your own perspective, but how can you show up for the next person as well? Um, and so those are my thoughts of like things that I know now that I didn't fully understand, but I I did understand to an extent when I was younger and how things played out and why I'm able to have friends in many different places, which I think is pretty dope. I think it's really cool to be able to phone a friend and things of that nature, how I'm able to show up for others and they're able to show up for me. So the next topic that I want to chat through is divine intervention. I feel like when it comes to having friends, a tribe, your village, your community, this buzzword of community, but truly for me, because I mentioned to you guys that I don't like mutualism, I've built my community off of a lot of one-on-ones, and then they end up all coming together and knowing each other, and then that's my community. So the moments I have noticed divine intervention is not only with the people that I have described are like the ones that will pray for me and intercede, but sometimes it's the moments with the people I've met that are more in the lighter category of like we can go to events, we know of each other, or the acquaintance category. Um, you're not a direct friend, but we know of each other's story, we know of each other, we follow each other. Maybe we're social media friends, maybe we're social besties, and like we'll message each other, DM, whatever the case is. But it's in those moments that I'm like, wow, that is truly divine intervention. So a few examples of that. I was going through a pretty tough season um towards the end of 2023 as well as towards the end of 2024. Something about the end of the year, whether it be, I don't know, burnout, holiday season, uh a heavy Q4. The end of the year is always a little bit harder than the beginning of the year. I feel like beginning of the year is like new year, new me, new fresh perspectives, etc. And there was a time when in 2023, I remember I went to a conference, it was Afrotech. And at that time in 2023, I went because I was unemployed, legit. And I didn't share that. No one really knew, but hindsight looking at it, what was crazy to me was the amount of people coming up to me and saying, like, oh my gosh, hey, you're Liz, right? And I'm like, Yeah, like how do you know me? And I may not have known them, but they will reference my story and how that has helped them, me sharing and showing up online and how that has helped them. And there was one girl in particular that stuck out. She told me that she was still in undergrad at Yale, and she has been watching my videos. She was like reciting some of my like YouTube videos from like back in the gap. And she was like, I can't believe I'm meeting you in person. Oh my gosh, and I was like, first of all, I would have loved to go to Yale. I didn't go to Yale. I think you're impressive. You see what I mean? So it's like the people in the reach and the impact that you could have, whenever you have like your low moment, you have no idea how you're inspiring someone and how they're being used as like an angel showing up for you. Um, another scenario like that happened where I was out at an event, and many people were from different walks expressing that, and one guy in particular, I think this is also the reason this stuck out to me is because I know when it comes to like pride and ego, it may be difficult for men to give women their flowers. Not to say that men don't give their women their flowers, but hey, I want to give you kudos because because of you, I was able to do this, things like that. Most people, whenever they think of like the whole, I'm trying to get like you big bro, you're not thinking of that in the concept of a woman. You see what I mean? Hopefully, y'all understand that. So I'm literally out in the club in another city. This is not my city, this is not where I reside. We are out vibing, and we're in someone's section. Cool, me and my girls, we're in someone's section. And so in this scenario, the bottle girl comes, gives him the bill, he gets the bill, and he signs it off. So, of course, section etiquette, that must be the owner of the section, right? And out of nowhere, he comes up to me and he was like, Hey, I was like, hey, I don't know where this is going. You guys could take a guess where you would think that it would go, right? And he was like, uh, you're Liz, right? I was like, Yeah. He was like, I wasn't gonna say anything, but I just want to let you know, like, because of you and like all your videos and all the stuff that you've been inspiring people towards, like, way back. Like, I've been watching your journey on TikTok, on Instagram and stuff. Because of you, I was actually able to like get into tech and like make my pivot. And I was like, dang, for real. And he was like, Yeah, and actually, like two weeks ago, I just got promoted. I was like, whoa. And what I thought was crazy was that this divine moment happened in a club. Do you see what I mean? It wasn't an ego or a pride scenario. What society would say is like, first of all, why are you in the club? Like, pause. We live life. Sometimes we go out for celebration's sake. For me, I was like, all I know from this example is that God is gonna be with me regardless, and he's gonna follow me and follow others and align me with destiny helpers and align other destiny helpers to me. And the fact that a story that I have shared from the past resonated with him, to where he now took that as actionable steps and now progressed his life, and now he's even getting promoted, and now he's here signing off on the bill, and we're here in the section together. Like it was it was just a crazy scenario to me. So, from the story of the girl from Yale that stopped me and was like, Oh my gosh, I've been watching your stuff, to the story of being in the club and someone mentioning that. That has happened to me so many times. I can go on and on about when I go somewhere and someone stops me and they're like, Oh my gosh, like whatever you do, like keep going, keep posting. And what they don't realize is it's in a moment when I'm questioning myself. It's in a moment when I'm trying to go silent and I'm like, ah, I don't know. I don't know if I should post this, I don't know if I should say this, I don't know who's watching. And I'm just getting in my head. And ultimately, that is the enemy. Like, that is fear trying to creep in and make you feel like you should silence yourself when at the end of the day, you could have been a vessel to help the next person. So that all ties back to the imposter syndrome when you're called to something higher, or you're just operating in your obedience, what feels natural, but now you are invoking yourself with this fear of judgment, or invoking yourself with this imposter syndrome of like, well, where is this rooted in? Is it because I was this as a kid and now I'm this person, X, Y, Z? And at the end of the day, you just never know how your story can transform someone else's entire life. You know what I mean? Um, so that's how I would summarize friendships, uh, having a village, having a tribe, the different self-awareness aspects of how you have to date things back to your childhood. All of it plays a role. And I just really hope that you guys take my story and what I've shared as a lesson for yourself and just find a way to implement it into your own life and do some reflection on your end and figure out how you can be a better friend, show up as a better person, show up as a better sibling, um, and not always center yourself with the concept of what can I get out of this. So thank you guys so much for tuning in to the Empowered Air Podcast. I really enjoyed having this cozy combo with y'all. Um, let me know in the comments if you guys enjoy the solo episodes, if you guys enjoy the guests, but have no fear because we do have a really, really exciting guest that's coming up next. And I am looking forward to it. I hope you guys are looking forward to it. Um, so yeah, you can find me on all handles, the Elizabethan era, all my personal stuff, as well as the Empowered Era podcast. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, of course. So, yes, until next time, love you guys. Y'all have a good one. Bye.